This story is unique to Mark, so that much speculation has centered around whether this was Mark himself of someone he knew. Anyway, the other gospel writers never mentioned this naked man. Was he a follower of Jesus from nearby Bethany or a vagrant? We do no not know. Mark thought it was important enough to write about it. He said that a certain young man was following Jesus (αὶ νεανίσκος τις συνηκολούθει αὐτῷ), perhaps indicating a follower of Jesus. He was wearing nothing but a linen cloth on his naked body (περιβεβλημένος σινδόνα ἐπὶ γυμνοῦ). They, the crowd that came to arrest Jesus, caught hold of him or seized him just like Jesus (καὶ κρατοῦσιν αὐτόν). However, he left his linen cloth behind (ὁ δὲ καταλιπὼν τὴν σινδόνα), as he ran off naked into the night (γυμνὸς ἔφυγεν). Apparently, no one followed him.